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Long having been a fan of the Boat House at Palm Beach, and the Armchair Collective at Mona Vale, when I heard their owners were taking over the cafe at Balmoral Boatshed, I was excited to get there and try it out. I was there on the third day of opening, and the crowds were building already. Even when I arrived for breakfast before 8am there were not many spare tables. I suspect that will be the trend, if it’s like that so soon!

The Setting

The Boatshed juts out into the Harbour, surrounded by magnificent, huge fig trees. A perfect setting.

Visitors to the Pam Beach Boat House will recognize design elements from there, with mounds of washed big pebbles used for walls, the fish-pots used as lightshades, and bounteous plants and flowers. The feel is relaxed, abundance.

Just insde the front door:

It is a working boatshed, so boats are available for hire.

Staff wear navy t-shirts with an anchor on the back, with the nautical feel appropriate for the setting.

The Food

The menus at the Boatshed look very similar to what’s on offer at the Palm Beach Boathouse. It’s everyday dining, done well.

Ordering from a small alcove surround by flowers, being greeted by a cheery, friendly face, added to the enjoyable experience.

My friend couldn’t make up her mind between the fruit or the muesli, so had both!

You can see that there was a luscious combination of fruits, including mango, strawberry, pomegranet, and fresh fig, served with yoghurt and a honeycomb chunk. The toasted muesli looked wonderful – made me want to try that – unusual because when out like that I’d usually order a cooked meal.

Another friend ordered the poached eggs with roast tomato on sourdough.

And then I ordered the baked eggs with mushroom ragu, roast tomatoes, ricotta, pine nut gremolata, and a wholemeal sourdough.

The salad served on the side surprised me with the crunch, the textures, of rocket, basil, radicchio and fennel, served with a tinge of dressing, enough to add flavour without drowning it. The leaves really were so fresh they crunched.

The roasted tomatoes were herbed, adding to the already rich roast flavour.

Each of the components of the dish were luscious, blending together well.

Such a peaceful start to the day, dining with views like that, overlooking the enclosed pool.

Stroll After Eating

After dining, we enjoyed a promenade along the waterfront at Balmoral, first on the walkway to the side of the cafe.

On Reflection

Being there so soon after opening, it sounded like the bugs experienced in the first few days had been ironed out, and the staff were super eager to provide good service.

I mentioned earlier about how busy it was there so early. That’s a good start. The challenge will probably be managing the queuing for tables later in the day. It will be interesting to return and see how it compares once they settle into a routine.

With such a perfect setting, overlooking the water, with that fresh, abundant atmosphere they’ve created, and good food, I’ll be back.

Note: This is Take 2 of the post. The first one disappeared with some server issues. I’ve tried to keep it as close as possible, but there will be differences.

Details

Here are the details about Balmoral Boatshed at time of posting. Please check their web site for more current details.